Lea Wood back for 2014 with a Toyota Avensis

Lea Wood, the 2013 British Touring Car Championship Jack Sears Trophy champion, will be back in the BTCC this season and will step up to a Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) specification car with a new-build Toyota Avensis, run by the new Houseman Racing team.

Wood’s family run team, JWT Performance, will run the car with Rob Houseman, a long time sponsor of many teams and drivers in the Championship, stepping in as co-team principal of the team along with Lea’s brother Greg.

“We’ve worked so hard to make this happen over the winter and I’m delighted to be able to confirm our involvement in the BTCC,” said Lea Wood. “Without the Jack Sears Trophy last year and the increased exposure we gained from that then this would not have been possible, but more importantly it simply wouldn’t have happened without the continued support from Houseman.

“There’s going to be a learning curve for sure, as the NGTC car will be new to us, but we’ll be trying to get up to speed as quickly as possible. It won’t be easy of course as the Championship is looking extremely competitive – we’ll be targeting points in the first instance and then really looking to build on some solid results.

“It’s just a dream to be involved in the BTCC at a time when the championship is going from strength-to-strength and we’re all really looking forward to the challenge.”